Common Pitfalls
What goes wrong most often, and how to avoid it
Almost every workspace regret traces back to one of six decisions. None of them are hard to avoid once you know to look for them.
Paying for desks nobody sits at
Teams size the office for headcount and then discover attendance runs at half of it. Size for the busiest normal day, and cover peaks with day passes or an extra meeting room rather than permanent seats.
Signing a lock-in you have not read
A long lock-in on a rate that looks good today removes every option you have if the team shrinks, grows fast, or moves city. Read the lock-in, notice and exit clauses before you read the rate.
Comparing rates instead of totals
Two quotes are only comparable once maintenance, electricity, meeting room usage, parking, GST and escalation sit on the same page. Build a monthly total for each shortlisted space, and compare those.
Committing without seeing the floor
Photographs never show noise, air conditioning, lift wait times, or how full the floor is at 4pm. Visit, or book a day pass at the same location first - a day of real work there tells you more than any tour.
Underestimating meeting room demand
Included credits run out faster than teams expect, and hourly rates then land on the monthly invoice. Ask how many rooms serve the floor, and what a room costs once your credits are used.
No plan for the next ten people
Ask what happens when you need more seats: whether the operator has capacity in the same building, whether you can shift to a larger cabin mid-term, and whether the rate changes if you do. An operator with room to grow into is worth a small premium.